MFT 11-30-11
15 To 20 – The Phenomenal Handclap Band – Counting their money on a sing song nursery rhyme or rap, depending upon your mood. Pretty addictive.
rock nyc
rock nyc
NEEDTOBREATHE At Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 Reviewed
These born again Christians are pretty brutal if you can’t meet them half way but really, given the job at hand, they handled themselves OK. Friendly, Godl fearing, lotsa face scrunching. You could do worse.
rock nyc
Chris Martin Terrifies Concert Goer, May Finally Becoming A Rock Star
Chris Marin is well on his way to becoming the weirdiest man in rock and roll, he is a passive aggressive hot mess unable to manage the middle ground between his inflated ego and Public School Boy “Thank you Sir, may I have another” psychosis.
rock nyc
Silverstein's Additional Verse For "Runaway" (Lyric Included)
groupies stay on their grind” was too smart a line to written by anything but a pro! The “gr” iteration is nasty as such and the verse may well be meaner than anything on the original
rock nyc
"The Descendants" Reviewed (More Or Less)
The music is the equal of the movie. If all you know of Hawaiian music is that bloke who does “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, prepare to be wowed big time. Gentle but not soft, based around steel guitars, flutes, and vocals that seem to yodel
rock nyc
Sinead O'Connor At St. John's, Hackney, November 27th, 2011 Setlist And Video
she played some old favorites and some off her upcoming album, including “the coiled Bono baiting venom” of a new song, “What IS A VIP” -the best song of 2012 and I haven’t heard it yet
rock nyc
Must See Gig: Laura Marling At The McKittrick Hotel, December 11th, 2011
She needs more “Ghosts” in her backpocket, and she needed to learn more from ex Charlie Fink. To put it bluntly, Laura’s songs are beautifully crafted, and she has a lovely voice, but they are not memorable enough. Stil, I would like to see her
rock nyc
Sneak Peak Week Of November 28th, 2011
I guess the world took the day off here, I mean when Trey Songz is the best new reeleases and that is an EP there ain’t nothing going on but the rent, or is it that it never hurts to put Fabulous on one of your tracks
rock nyc
MFT 11-29-11
Sleeping Beauty: Waltz – Tchaikovsky – And here was I thinking Walt Disney wrote it, a gorgeous waltz and the lyric when Disney got round to it, was “I know you, I danced with you once upon a dream”.
rock nyc
Big Chocolate At the Studio At Webster Hall, Friday, November 25th, 2011, Reviewed
Big Chocolate held the audience in the palm of his hand playing a variation on on Simon Says and playing with sonic heavy bass lines and drum sequences. The aural pounding is infectious and fun.
rock nyc
Los Campesinos And What Happens When You Fall Out Of Love With A Band
. Los Campesinos were headlining and coming off easily their best album to date We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (even the title is a knockout). They encored with “You Better Use Those Fingers For Crossing” and I left the space and all I wanted to do was write about how I felt about the nights music.
rock nyc
Alex York At the Studio At Webster Hall, Friday, November 25th, 2011, Reviewed
Bottle blonde Alex York is a cool friendly charmer on stage at the Studio at Webster Hall.He struts the stage with a mix of arrogance and diffidence and sings his catchy pure pop for now people with conviction, helped along by a pretty good guitarist.
rock nyc
Pick Concerts Week Of November 28th, 2011
Steve Wynn still sounds like Lou Reeds more harmonious kid brother, and Miracle 3 sound like the Byrds on acid, so Friday’s gig at Bowery Electric is a must see.
UK Top 10 Singles
UK Top 10 Singles, November 27th, 2011
Rihanna does the double dip, # 1 single and # 1 album. Me, I prefer “You Da One” until I happen upon “We Found Love” again; and this song should put Calvin Harris on the map and then some.
UK Top 10 Albums
UK Top 10 Albums, November 27th, 2011
I am going back and forth on the new Rihanna, not what I hoped for what but what I like I love; the problem is she sounds so distance from time to time, the New York mag review was plenty good
rock nyc
MFT 11-28-11
Ka Kakani Ka’illi Aloha – Gabby Pahinui – What’s with the “ka” in Hawaiian ? It means “the” which makes Gabby ka greatest in my books. This is a lilting folk ballad playing over the titles to “The Descendants” it implies a sort of descent into the real world.
rock nyc
Breathe Carolina At The Studio At Webster Hall, Friday, November 25th, 2011, Reviewed
For 45 minutes, Breathe Carolina were a study in artistic professionalism. The pacing immaculate, the audience rapport a study in contol, they were so good that at the end they interrupted a two hit medley with a slow one.
rock nyc
Singles Going Steady, Week Of December 21st, 2001
50 Words For Snow – Kate Bush – A very beautiful meditation on winter with her always evocative piano taking center position. Kate’s influence is legend and this should add to her reputation. Grade: B+
rock nyc
MFT 11-27-11
1. Snowflake – Kate Bush – As poets go, she is no Emily Bronte, “Wuthering Heights” notwithstanding, and on cold paper, her artistry, all horses walking thru snowdrifts, is a naturalists Patti Smith. But when she sings em they feel like they are revelealing the place where heat is cold.
rock nyc
"A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" Reviewed
the entire show is squirmy unwatchable and sad. It’s like a trainwreck. How could Gaga be uncool and counter-culture at the same time? It is like performance art, the theater of the real and only she is in on the joke.
rock nyc
Tyler, The Creator At L.A.'s Odd Future Shop: Our Intreped Reporter Alyson Camus Risks Life And Limb For This Exclusive
I could not take many pictures about The Odd Future shop, I could not get in, there was such a long line and the security guard was very nasty! And there was a ‘no fucking photo’ sign at the entrance!
rock nyc
Michael Jackson's "Immortal" Reviewed
It needed a better producer to meld it together, too often it uses sound effects to move from one set piece to another where what was needed was musical bridges
rock nyc
GZA to Lecture At Harvard
Genius will live up to his name, lecturing at Harvard’s Black Man’s Forum on December 1st, 2011
rock nyc
MFT 11-26-11
Ghosts – Laura Marling – For the most part, I find Marling’s charms real but limited. I wish the songs were, how you say, catchier. Except this one, With its galloping hooves drums and hooky “ghosts” repitions, it is an economic revelation of romantic disappointment
rock nyc
Adam Brand At Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 Reviewed
Adam Brand is a good ol’ boy from Australia, playing some of that country-pop and, along with three other acoustic guitarists and a washboard, he performed a pretty good 20 minute set that didn’t come close to wearing out its welcome.
rock nyc
US Top Ten Albums, Week Of December 3rd, 2011
Absolutely Drakes newbie deserves the top spot, though it sags in the middle the first six songs are astounding. It is just a shame there wasn’t only 10 tracks to the album. Nobody has recovered from the CD days
rock nyc
UK Top 10 Singles, Week Of December 3rd, 2011
Rihanna is a strange woman, so young and bruised, so sure and defensive, there is something messy about her and there is something messy about this song. I’m a little surprised it is as popular as it is, it is a downbeat Drake like ballad that changes direction and becomes a dance anthem
rock nyc
MFT 11-25-11
Someday Soon – Judy Collins – In the late 70s I used to work in a bar on East 39th and we had a folk singer who played for tips and this song always got a ton of money. As much a teen fantasy as anything Swift has ever come up with and a reminder of a time less innocent
rock nyc
The Final Night Of Taylor Swifts' "Speak Now" Tour At Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011, Reviewed
Lady Gaga’s fans treat her like a very cool maiden Aunt, sticking up for them when their parents just don’t understand. Katy Perry’s fans treat her like a big sister, testing the adult world’s waters for them. Swift is a mix of sister, role model and best friend forever
rock nyc
A rock nyc Thanksgiving
Don’t worry. Victoria, is safe and sound after being adopted by rock nyc co-editor Helen Bach. One small step for man, one giant waddle for mankind.
rock nyc
MFT 11-24-11
All I Want – Joni Mitchell – What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving then with a Canadian national treasure. A love stoy about a thwarted desire cradled in a melody awash with hope.
rock nyc
The Rolling Stones' "Some Girls (Deluxe)" Reviewed
the final, last, absolutely, definably, great moment. From country to hard rock,, from reggae riddims to punkish outrage (at themselves) and kicked off with the last time the Stones would find themselves in touch with the zeigeist
rock nyc
Al Jardine: Brian Wilson Prolific In His Psychedelic 1960s
Al Jardine had some interesting things to say about the Beach Boy’s Brian Wilson during the aborted “Smile” sessions; among them, Phil Spector was planning to murder him… hmm, maybe that wasn’t drug induced paranoia
rock nyc
Pusha T And Drake Release New Albums, Both Flawed, Both Win On Points
Both albums are strictly autobiographical snapshots. Pusha T wishes he was back selling keys, Drake breaks up with a pre-hip hop stardom girl, because she can’t deal with all the gossip. “You believed in everything but me” he laments.
rock nyc
Joe Strummer Bio Pic Sounds Interesting
Often when you here of a bio-pic you, rightly, get worried, but this time, about Joe Strummer’s disappearance in 1982, sounbds filled with possibilities
rock nyc
Katy Perry Hosting SNL On December 10th
what’s the bet SNL haven’t got the slightest idea how to deal with her on December 10th? It’s not that they are bad with women, it is that they are bad with everything.
rock nyc
MFT 11-23-11
Runaway – Silverstein – No they don’t speed or punk Kanye West’s masterpiece. They re-arrange it for guitar and change it from a rap song to a pop song of the first order.
rock nyc
Taylor Swift On 60 Minutes: Lazy, Sloppy And Already Well Documentated Reporting
A fantasy where her songwriting abilities are under appreciated because her fans are teenage girls. This is complete nonsense. Swift is considered, and rightly, one of the greatest songwriters of her generation. IT’S HER SINGING THAT WAS GETTING DISMISSED
rock nyc
From YouTube To IPods: A New Generation Of File Sharing
With the birth of Google Music, Itunes has yet another competitor and this time a big one. Trust me, if Google thought subscription based rentals were the future, they would have gotten into that as well.
rock nyc
In Praise Of The New Girl Same As The Old Girl: Zooey Deschanel
I am sure I am not alone in falling in love with Zooey Deschanel around the middle of her “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” duet with Wil Farrel. And I am not certain if I am alone in getting completely sick of her around Vol II, her dire She & Him sophomore effort.
rock nyc
Grammy Awards Hall Of Fame Nominees 2012: "I Have A Dream" and "The Message" Among Them
The 2012 inductees into the Grammy Hall of Fame are here, and to be honest, it is a little difficult to argue with them though quite why Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” is only showing up now I don’t know
rock nyc
Here Are The Winners Of Sunday's American Music Awards… A Study In Irrelevance
Though based upon the votes of record buyers, it seems to be a referendum on youth. Honestly, Speak Now was the best country album. Best pop album, OK I can see that. But country???
News
Sneak Peaks Week Of November 21st, 2011
On first listen, Mary J is very good, Pop Goes Punk is worth while if only for a terrific version of “Runaway” by Silverstein and neither of the remixes add much to the conversation.
rock nyc
MFT 11-22-11
I Want To Be Loved By You – Sinead O’Connor – A straight up homage to the Marilyn Monroe version and what makes it somewhat bewildering is it is so out of the Sinead character at the time. It is similar to Andy Kaufman’s Elvis Presley imitation. Having said that, I believe I am alone in loving the album it arrived on.
rock nyc
"Hugh Jackman Back On Broadway" At The Broadhurst Theater, Saturday, November 19th, 2011, Reviewed
The performance is sexy, charming, self-effacing, hugely fun, fleet of foot, beautifully maintained, with a full orchestra and six back up dancers/singers for the guys in the audience. Jackman’s rapport is easy and genuine and his singing fine and robust. This is a star making a star turn.
rock nyc
"Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1" Reviewed (More Or Less)
Edward is marrying Bella, Jacob is pissed, Edward and Bella have unprotected sex (meaning before he changes her into a vampire) and Bella gets pregnant… an impossibility and the half human half vampire fetus is killing Bella from the inside out… lucky fetus
rock nyc
Rihanna's "Talk That Talk" Reviewed
pure pop for now people, one piece of glossy product after another: from electro pop to dubstep, a smash hit, a couple of maybes, a Jay-Z rap, and a very good acoustic number. It adds up to a field of top pop producers coming together to release a Christmas gift of an album
rock nyc
Noel Gallagher To Write New James Bond Song
source told Limey tabliod the Sun “They’re going to talk about potentially writing and performing the song for next year’s new Bond film. Nothing is signed or official, it’s just being discussed at the moment.”
rock nyc
Pick Concerts, Week Of November 21st, 2011
So I am back on Tuesday (she is also performing Monday) for the Speak Now MSG stop. What do I expect? More of the same. Why am I going? Because it’s Taylor Swift.
UK Top 10 Albums
UK Albums, November 20th, 2011
From Scott Weiland to Justin Bieber I haven’t thought much of any of them. Buble’s the best of a bad lot because Buble is made of the same cloth as any of the greats, of a Sinatra or a Bennet. Meaning, he is used to covering well known songs.